EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934): Polonia, Op. 76, Sospiri, Op. 70, Une Voix dans le Désert for Speaker, Soprano and Orchestra, Op. 77, Carissima, Rosemary, The Sanguine Fan, Op. 81, Sursum Corda, Op. 11, for Speaker and Orchestra: Carillon, Op. 75, Le Drapeau Belge, Op. 79.

Description: Some collectors will recall the 1988 Pearl release with the Rutland Sinfonia entitled "War Music". Well, everything there except Fringes of the Fleet (already recorded by SOMM) is here plus a few other items which were near enough to the 1914-18 period to make them if not "War Music" then "music written during the War". Polonia is rightly the best-known; the three works with speaker are not likely to have survived had they not been by Elgar but pretty much every note in them could not have been written by anyone else and, besides, we're in a period of Elgar ultra-completeness now. Texts included. Susan Gritton (soprano), Simon Callow (speaker), BBC Concert Orchestra; John Wilson.